Tek 4051 was Re: Weekend finds!

From: Philip.Belben_at_pgen.com <(Philip.Belben_at_pgen.com)>
Date: Tue Nov 24 10:13:35 1998

> OK Thanks. Are the BASIC commands on the 4052 the same as the 4051?
> FWIW the 4052s use similar plug in ROMs. One of the manuals that I have
> shows the same function ROM for the 4052. It uses the same case but a
> different board with more ROM ICs on it.
Yes. My BASIC manuals cover 4051, 4052 and 4054. Some commands have a
note in the manual that they're not available on the 4051 without an
appropriate ROM cartridge.

>>The 4097 is very rare AFAIK. I've never before heard of one surviving.
>>All I have for it is some Tek marketing bumf printed out from microfilm..
>
> I'm like to see the marketing info. Where did you find it?
>
> I've been cleaning the 4051 up today. Man, is it filthy! There are dirt
> dobber nests all through it. I cleaned up one of the 4097s and checked
the
> power supply. It spun up but one voltage is slightly high. I have to fix
> that.
When I was researching the talk I gave at the VCF (in fact the previous
version that I gave to the Cambridge University Computer Preservation
Society) I wrote to Tek UK asking for information. They sent me an
envelope full of microfiches: marketing stuff tracking practically the
whole history of the 4050 series, an almost complete set of "Tekniques",
the 4050 series newsletter, and a couple of technical things.

Give me a snail mail address (privately) and I'll post you a copy
(technically I have permission to copy if "promoting Tektronix")

> Here's a rough list of what I have: Tek 4051 mod 1,22 (what is a mod
No idea, I'm afraid.

> 1,22?). A 4097 8" disk drive with a single drive. It has option 031. I
> don't know what that is unless it's the connector for the second drive.
It
> has an HP-IB port for the controller and a 40 conductor ribbon cable that
> connects to the other 4097. The second 4097 has two 8" disk drives and no
> controller port just a connector for the 40 conductor cable. There is a
The 4097 could control up to 3 drives. You seem to have the full
configuration, controller + 1 drive in one box, 2 drives in a second box.
Disks are SSDD I think (must look that up). Links to 4051 by GPIB of
course. My 4052 now loads and saves on my Commie 8050 disk drive...

> Data Communications Interface on the back of the 4051, it has two ROM
> sockets in it and a RS-232 port on the bottom. There is also a ROM
> Expansion box (4051E01). It has 8 ROM sockets and a cable with a dummy
ROM
> that plugs into one of the ROM sockets on the 4051. I have five ROMs in
> it; File Manager, Editor, Signal Processing, Service Pack and Binary
> Program Loader. I'm supposed to get some manuals from the seller. I took
a
I think file manager may be needed for the 4097. (Are you sure it's a
4097? I have a vague memory of it having been 4907). Binary program
loader is one of the things that's included on the 4052 motherboard ROMs.
I don't understand the editor but I may have a manual if I dig. Screen
editing of BASIC (on a storage display) is better than many non-storage
user interfaces of the day even without the Editor ROM.

> quick look at them and there was a 4097 manual. I didn't look at the
> others. I did pick up manuals from someone else for the Signal Processing
> ROM and FFT ROM (I don't have that one). There are two connectors on the
I have the FFT ROM for the 4052 but it doesn't work (bit rot?) :-(

> top back of the 4051. I don't know what they're for except that one has a
> note not to connect the joy stick unless the machine is off, so I assume
> that's what it's for. I think the other is for a printer.
Tony beat me to it again. See his post and my reply thereto.

Philip.
Received on Tue Nov 24 1998 - 10:13:35 GMT